Everyone these days is throwing their opinion at Win8. I certainly read a bunch of reviews, both negative and positive.But, as with most everything in this life, trying stuff is better then reading about it.So, I figured I just install Win8 on my laptop and see what's the fuss all about.

INSTALLINGThe installing process went fine and smooth. It begins with a Win7 feel, but then it's shorter at the end, less unwanted info and settings.

STARTING UPIt starts with the Start screen. Immediately, I felt lost. But I remembered the "mouse pointer in the top-right corner" info presented during the install process. It goes to show a sidebar on the same right side. A useful one, where you can reach the Control Panel by way of Settings cog icon.

But then I discovered the Desktop tile and things started to look familiar... almost. What, no Start button? Again, my feel was that something is not right.

I start looking into IE10. Nothing spectacular. And then I go and install Firefox.

GETTING USED TOAfter a few minutes, things start to click. I get the hang of the WinKey, it's what you use to switch between the Start screen and the Desktop.

Then I start to play with the tiles in the start screen. Right click on them and you get a bottom bar with options (the context menu). Right click on another one to form a tile group. The options in the bottom context menu are now for the grouped tiles.

After a while it's starting to make sense. I need more time with the Start screen, but I think I like it now. Still, 75% of the initial tiles are gone now.

HARDWAREIt's still not quite right. The problem is with the video cards drivers (I have a Intel HD 3000 and a GeForce 540M). I go and download the latest drivers, and things start to be even more attractive.

Nothing else more I need. It's snappy and smooth.

MORE SOFTWAREI begin prospecting the use of Win8 as a replacement for Win7 now. So I install a few more things: Skype, K-Lite. It turns out the video experience is better on Win8. I delete a few new tiles in the Start screen and reorder a few things there. It's starting to look like Win8 is not that bad after all.

GOING BACK TO WIN7It's time to get back to Win7. A restart shows something interesting. Win8 boot loader starts Win8 and a screen let's you choose between Win8 and Win7 (I installed them as dual boot).

Choosing Win7 results in a reboot, this time straight into Win7.

WIN7 SUCKSThat was my first impression.

It turns out the desktop in Win7 in unattractive now. Too many icons, gadgets and so on. Win7 feels now like the overweight and slow relative of Win8.

Sure, it has the Start button... but after a while, it appears I'm no longer missing it in Win8.

FINAL THOUGHTSWhile running the Win8 tests, I was under the impression that there were some lags. My laptop is pretty well rounded, it has 8Gigs of RAM, an 2.4 GHz Intel i5 Sandy CPU.

But returning to Win7, now it seems like Win7 runs slower instead. It seems that the tile interface and animations may have something to do with my perception. Manually installing video drivers seem to also have a part in it.

CONCLUSIONAt start, it may seem like it's missing out on some stuff like the Start button, or the bottom bar in Android.

But, after what, 30 minutes of use, even though I have to admit I started a little biased against Win8, and after returning to Win7 from Win8, it seems like Win8 managed to change my mind and it looks like an improvement from Win7.

That's my personal opinion, of course. Feel free to add more info from your own experience.

Interesting! Would you mind posting a screenshot of your start screen/desktop? It'd be interesting to see what it looks like after someone has tweaked it away from defaults. I might give it a try. I am sceptical but it sounds like you were too so perhaps it can win me over yet!

It's possible that win7 was slower after using win8 because of some way the two interact, to be a fair test each windows version would have to go onto its own computer (both identical hardware), with a brand new hard drive so that there's not any remnants of another os to have any affect.

I haven't used Windows 8 for long, but I found the jarring of moving between the metro and aero ui's really bad.At first glance, it felt like Windows 7 with a fancy new dashboard but I'm sure there's deeper changes than that.

Looks like *****. a start screen with tiles? stupid. the start button has always worked perfectly fine. if you want to change that adapt a dock system like Mac OS (for the record im not a fan of Mac in general - but there are elements i do like). this whole tile thing looks like the xbox dashboard. Im fairly sure the Xbox dashboard was a prototype/pre-launch version of win 8. The tile system does not make sense for a desktop (or game console) OS.Tiles like that belong on touch screen devices only.

Your classic windows desktop with classic shortcuts is the same with the Start screen with tiles. The fact that you can scroll the tiles in the Start screen looks pretty good, as opposed to the rigid desktop.

But that's not the way. Win8 tries exactly this: a separation from of these three classic concepts: desktop, taskbar, shortcuts.

tim_getdim said:

The tile system does not make sense for a desktop (or game console) OS.Tiles like that belong on touch screen devices only.

I'm not so sure about that.

Tiles can be big or small.Tiles can be grouped in distinct tile screens, that can be swiped or scrolled individually.Just like Android 4 screens or Linux multiple desktops, only in a different manner. Which is good. If it's a plus, we'll have to wait and see.

Everything seems like it has a whole lot more space to bread. You just have to understand things in screens and tiles as opposed to a single desktop with shortcuts.

The Start screen and the clutter free Desktop and the much clearer taskbar certainly add more dynamics to Win8. I admit it's a little confusion to be fought against at first, but I still haven't given up yet because it's not that hard really, to understand this new way.

For me, performance wise, it's something like Win7 is Win'95 and Win8 is Win'98. Let's wait and see if it needs a Second Edition.

You should learn a thing or two from Android users. They don't take the changes so badly, like, for example, from Gingerbread to ICS. In fact, they welcome every new version with great enthusiasm. And I certainly enjoyed my jump from Gingerbread to ICS.

Hey! No need to get so fired up. Just like Android 4 screens or Linux multiple desktops, only in a different manner. Which is good. If it's a plus, we'll have to wait and see.

Everything seems like it has a whole lot more space to bread. You just have to understand things in screens and tiles as opposed to a single desktop with shortcuts.

For me, performance wise, it's something like Win7 is Win'95 and Win8 is Win'98. Let's wait and see if it needs a Second Edition.

You should learn a thing or two from Android users. They don't take the changes so badly, like, for example, from Gingerbread to ICS. In fact, they welcome every new version with great enthusiasm. And I certainly enjoyed my jump from Gingerbread to ICS.

I am an android user (phone), i just dont think my LG Optimus+ can upgrade to ICS.

it just seems to me win8 is better suited to touch screens than desktop pc's.

As much as i have issues with Apple, i think they proved a good point with Lon - Multiple desktops works extremely well (something linux has done before, i know) and the dock system (in all OS X versions) seems to be a very reliable way to keep your desktop uncluttered. i think Win should adopt a dock-like system where you can put shortcuts to your most used programs/apps and have a start button on the left end like they have always done with their toolbar.

I think it would be much better suited for desktop devices and they can still run their xbox-dashboard-style win8 for touch screen devices.

oh and Win98 was CRAP. it was still better than vista but it was the vista of its day. 98 had so many errors and necessitated so many re-installs it was pathetic.

the dock system (in all OS X versions) seems to be a very reliable way to keep your desktop uncluttered.

I don't have much experience with OSX, so I can't really make a valid comment on that. But it seems to me like you're saying "dock it" while I'm saying "pin it".

A "pin it" that's different from Win7, with a lot more real estate (the Start screen) in Win8 and with a lot more options.

tim_getdim said:

oh and Win98 was CRAP. 98 had so many errors and necessitated so many re-installs it was pathetic.

There were a lot of improvements from Win95, and Win98 SE certainly was a successful OS in my book. It's just that Win98 got off on the wrong foot, the famous BSoD. After all, if you don't make mistakes, then you're not working on hard enough problems.

On a PC, I feel like the metro interface will only be useful to casual users. I often have several programs and windows open, and I need the taskbar to flip between them easily, in addition to needing those programs to not be full screen. Do you know if Win8 will allow us to skip the metro start screen and just boot straight into the desktop app?

I often have several programs and windows open, and I need the taskbar to flip between them easily, in addition to needing those programs to not be full screen.

The Desktop tile gets you to the desktop. The only thing missing is the Start button. You can have your shortcuts on desktop as in previous versions. You can have stacked windows in the desktop, the same way you did in previous versions. And the taskbar is there too.

Jeff_Mott said:

Do you know if Win8 will allow us to skip the metro start screen and just boot straight into the desktop app?

It seems that Accessories, for example, is missing from the Program menu in the Start menu. I don't think is a big issue.

After you install Classic Shell, Win8 starts with the Start screen but it automatically switches, after a few seconds, to Desktop. You still have access to Start screen, but not with the WinKey, which now opens up the Start menu, the classic behavior, but by moving the mouse in the upper right or lower right corners to reveal the side bar.

It seems that Accessories, for example, is missing from the Program menu in the Start menu. I don't think is a big issue.

It seems to be under Windows Accessories now.

itmitică;5163659 said:

[...] by moving the mouse in the upper right or lower right corners to reveal the side bar.

...or the charms bar as they call it, each token there is a charm.

My experience so far, is that even thought the Start screen has somewhat replaced the Start button, there are still too many clicks involved in the Start screen to get things done properly, every new program installation adds too many garbage tiles to the Start screen and accessing the full Apps screens is, again, a few too many clicks away by default.

I really like the ICS few buttons that make the difference: the Menu button in the upper right corner is one of them.

I agree. Simple is better for the average user. Not sure if power users would accept it as a default from Windows though. But I am a little attracted to keeping things separate like the Start screen tries to.

And there is the question of whether or not those paying for an upgrade from Win7 to Win8 are in fact paying for what should be a free Win7 SP2.